Footwear

ABSTRACT

A shoe formed from a shoe blank having first and second surfaces, wherein one end of the shoe blank is twisted with respect to the opposite end and the first surface of each end is connected together in face contacting arrangement so as to provide a shoe with a one-sided continuous surface.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Great Britain Application No.0126323.5, filed Nov. 2, 2001, which application is incorporated hereinfully by this reference.

The present invention relates to footwear; more particularly, it relatesto a type of shoe that is simple and cost-effective in terms ofproduction, but which retains both comfort and aesthetic appeal.

Currently, shoes that are available tend to comprise a series ofdistinct, interconnected components. Even the very simplest of shoesincludes a foot-bed, shoe upper components, a sole and a heel, attachedby some securing means such as gluing and/or stitching.

A shoe concept comprising a series of interconnected components isdisclosed in PCT Patent WO 01/49141. Indeed, the assembly disclosed inthat patent's specification comprises a plurality of components, eventhough they relate to an assembly for only the upper section of a shoe.In terms of materials, and also of construction, this option isevidently a more complicated one than the integral concept of thepresent invention.

It is an object of the present invention to solve, or at least tomitigate, the problems and complications associated with the prior artin this field.

According to a first aspect of the invention, here is provided a shoeformed from a shoe blank having first and second surfaces, wherein oneend of the shoe blank is twisted with respect to the opposite end andthe first surface of each end is connected together in face contactingarrangement so as to provide a shoe with a one-sided continuous surface.

Preferably the shoe blank is applied to a shoe former to maintain theshoe in a set up condition. Optionally, the shoe blank is an integralone-piece construction.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a shoeformed from a plurality of distinct interconnected components, toprovide a heel, a foot bed section and a front section, each componenthaving first and second surfaces, arranged to provide a shoe with a onesided continuous surface.

Preferably the distinct components are a heel part, a foot partcomprising the instep and nose portions, and one or more solecomponents.

According to an optional feature of this aspect of the invention, theheel region comprises an open loop. Preferably, the heel regioncomprises a solid support within the loop. More preferably, the solidsupport is so constructed and arranged as to fill the cavity of the heelloop.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a shoecomprising a heel section, a foot bed section and a front strap forretaining a user's foot, wherein the heel section is an open loop. Inone class of embodiments, the open loop is adapted to flex in aresilient manner to absorb a degree of impact during use.

According to an optional feature of this aspect of the invention, theheel region further comprises a solid support within said loop.

Preferably, the solid support is so constructed and arranged as to fillthe cavity of the said heel loop. More preferably, the solid support ismanufactured from a flexible plastics material or foam.

According to an optional feature of any preceding aspect of theinvention, the shoe is formed from a shoe blank constructed of aplastics material; leather; rubber; or any combination of the aforesaidmaterials. Optionally, the plastics material is fibre-reinforcedplastics material; a polyurethane; a combination of polyurethanes; foam;or any combination of the aforesaid materials.

According to an optional feature of any preceding aspect of theinvention there further comprises a steel shank to improve rigidity ofthe shoe.

The shoe and/or former, as the case may be, is a solid polyurethaneunit. Alternatively, the shoe and/or former is formed from Kevlar orcarbon-fibre.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a methodof forming a shoe from a shoe blank comprising a plurality of componentsincluding a heel part, a front portion and a sole, wherein the heel partand the front part are first connected to one another and fixed bysecuring means, this combination of these two components subsequentlyhaving finishing means applied thereto, before the addition of the sole,which sole is fixed to the finished combination of the heel part and thefront part by securing means.

Preferably the finishing means comprises a leather coverage.

According to an optional feature of this aspect of the invention, thefinishing means comprises a flexible coating of plastics material, and alayer of leather, which layer of leather is applied to each of thoseparts of the resultant shoes which is to come into contact with theuser's foot.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a methodfor forming a shoe from a one piece shoe blank having first and secondsurfaces comprising the steps of

-   -   (i) twisting a first end of the shoe blank;    -   (ii) folding the first end under a middle part of the blank to        form a heel;    -   (iii) folding said first end over the opposed end and into        abutment with the opposed end to form a foot bed section;    -   (iv) securing the first surface of said opposed ends in face        contacting arrangement to form a shoe with a one-sided        continuous face.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided a shoe toaccommodate a foot, formed from a shoe blank folded into athree-dimensional shape by twisting one end of the said shoe blankthrough an angle of 180° and attaching said end to the opposite end ofthe blank in such a way that the resultant three-dimensional shape hasonly one continuous face.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter bedescribed, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a shoe former 2 used with a shoe blank 10to form a shoe according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shoe former as shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A to 3J show how a shoe according to one embodiment of thepresent invention may be folded and constructed from a one-pieceintegral shoe-blank 10;

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are respectively a side view of the outside face of ashoe, and a rear perspective three-quarter view of a shoe 20, bothaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are respectively a perspective view and a plan view ofthe shoe shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view from the front of the shoe shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of such the shoe, viewed from below and showingthe sole region of the shoe of FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are perspective views of alternative embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 12 is a cross section of a central section of the shoe formed fromthe parts shown in FIG. 13; and.

FIG. 13 is an exploded view of a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention, wherein a shoe is formed from four parts.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a shoe former 2, used in conjunctionwith a shoe blank 10, to form a shoe 20. The shoe former can be suppliedas a single unit similar to that shown in FIG. 2, or a multi-part unit,as illustrated in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, the shoe former 2 is formed as atwo-part unit with a front part 4 and a rear part 6. The rear part 6 hasa foot bed section 7, a heel 8 and a base 9, which are connected to forma loop. The front and rear parts 4 and 6 are secured together bysuitable securing means, for example glue or mechanical fixings alongoverlapping surface(s) 3, 5 so as to construct the shoe former shown inFIG. 2.

The shoe former 2 is, in this embodiment, made from suitable plasticsmaterial, for example nylon resin or polyurethane. Alternatively, it canbe manufactured from one or more materials outlined below.

Preferably, the rear part 6 and more preferably, the heel section 8 ofthe loop is adapted to flex in a resilient manner thereby to allowabsorption of the impact with the ground, during use, thereby to improvecomfort. Additionally, or alternatively, the foot bed section 7 isconstructed to flex between its ends in like manner.

Turning to the construction of the shoe blank, according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention, a shoe blank 10 (FIG. 3) preferablycomprises a front section 12, a foot-bed portion 14 and a securingportion 16. Each one of these sectors of the shoe blank 10 is clearlyshown by FIGS. 3 and 4 viewed in combination; FIG. 3 shows the differentsectors of the blank 10 more clearly whilst FIG. 4 shows each of theseparts in the assembled shoe 20.

The configuration of the shoe blank 10 comprising these components isillustrated in FIG. 3. The front section 12 is connected to the foot-bedportion 14, which is in turn connected to the securing portion 16. Itwill be recognised that these ‘connections’ need not be specificallyconnections of a foldable, hinged or frangible nature. Indeed, accordingto this preferred embodiment of the present invention, they are notconnections between distinct or separate components at all. In thisembodiment, the shoe blank 10 is an integral unit comprising these threedifferent component sections 12, 14, 16.

One method of construction of a shoe 20 from the one-piece shoe blank 10shall now be described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3J; of course,other methods are envisaged without departing from the scope ofinvention.

The front section 12 is first folded into a position lower than, butsubstantially parallel to, the rest of the shoe blank 10. This stage ofthe process is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

Subsequently, the securing portion 16 and the rear section of thefoot-bed portion 14 are folded under the shoe blank 10 in such a way asto form a looped heel section 18. This folding arrangement isillustrated in FIGS. 3C to 3H, FIG. 3H being the first to show theassembled looped heel section 18. The securing portion 16 is then foldedin the direction X, in order that it may be brought into abutment withone side of the front section 12, as is shown in FIG. 3I. The securingportion 16 and the remainder of the foot-bed portion 14 are brought overthe front section 12 in such a way as to form an instep loop 22 toaccommodate the front part of the user's foot. This instep loop 22 ismost clearly shown in FIG. 6, and in FIGS. 3I and 3J. In someembodiments, the loop 22 extends forward to cover the front of the shoe,thereby to provide an enclosed portion.

It is during this last stage of the process that the twist takes placeto form a strip, which gives a three-dimensional shape that has asingle, continuous face (or surface). This shape is most clearlyrepresented in FIGS. 3J, 7 and 9. Further to the technical advantages ofsuch a configuration, the appearance of this shape is a distinctive andimportant aesthetic aspect of the present invention.

The application of securing means, for example adhesive or othermechanical fixing, to secure the securing portion 16 to the underside ofthe front section 12, completes the construction of the shoe 20 from theshoe blank 10, as according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. The appearance of the underside or sole portion of theresulting shoe 20 is illustrated in FIG. 9.

The formation of the continuous face shown in FIG. 3 is carried out bymoulds and conventional equipment so that it can be constructed by handor automated machinery.

In one class of embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shoe former2 is used in conjunction with the blank 10 to facilitate construction ofthe shoe. The forming process is identical or substantially similar tothat outlined above with reference to FIG. 3, but the formation of theloop 18 is assisted by wrapping the rear section of the foot bed portion14 around the heel and base 8, 9 of the shoe former 2. In one class ofembodiments, the foot bed portion 14 is secured to one or more faces ofsections 7, 8 and/or 9 of the shoe former. In some embodiments, thefront portion 12 is secured to the front section 4 of the former.

To complete construction of the shoe, the securing portion 16 is securedto the front portion 12 of the blank, which in turn is secured to thefront section 4. Alternatively, the securing portion 16 is secured tothe underside of the former 2 to form a multi-ply structure, with thefront section 4 of the former 2 intermediate the opposite ends 12, 16 ofthe blank 10, and secured thereto.

The aforementioned embodiment of shoe 20 is also illustrated in FIGS. 6,7, 8 and 9 in which the front portion 12, the foot bed portion 14, theheel portion 18 and instep loop 22 are illustrated.

One advantage of the present invention is that it provides a furtherbenefit to the manufacturer and/or designer in its versatility. It isversatile in that it may further be varied to produce shoes 20 ofvarying heights, styles and configurations. Indeed, to produce adifferent shoe 20 all that needs to be changed is the shape or length ofthe original shoe-blank 10 and/or former 2 from which the shoe 20 may beformed.

A further advantage to the integral one-piece assembly is in itsdurability. By reducing the number of the joins between separatecomponents that characterise the prior art in this field, the potentialfor breakages at such joins is reduced.

It is envisaged that further embodiments of the present invention,including heel sections 118, 218, of different heights, may beconstructed by a similar method. These second and third embodiments ofthe shoe 120, 220, both retain the same reference numerals as thepreferred embodiment hereinbefore described, but each numeral ispreceded by a prefix number of ‘1’ for the second embodiment, ‘2’ forthe third, and are illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11 respectively.

In each of the aforementioned embodiments, there is shown a shoecomprising a heel section, a foot bed section and a front strap forretaining a user's foot. The heel section is an open loop 19 (FIGS. 4and 6), which, in some embodiments, can be adapted to flex in aresilient manner to thereby to absorb a degree of impact during use.

Optionally, the loop is provided with an internal support, which fills,at least in part the cavity between the base and foot bed portion 14.The support is manufactured from suitable plastics material and can befitted after the shoe has been formed or is formed integrally with theshoe former 2. In those embodiments with a loop that flexes, the supportis provided by a flexible plastics material or a foam based composition.

Alternative methods of construction are envisaged, for example in afourth embodiment of the present invention, represented in FIGS. 12 and13 of the accompanying drawings, a shoe may be constructed from aplurality of components.

Preferably, there are four individual interconnected components areemployed which means that, the relative simplicity of construction isretained and the advantages hereinbefore described still apply.

A degree of durability is retained by the shoe 350, due to the use of asmall number of components. The versatility of the design is equal orgreater; a modification needs only to be made to one component of theshoe 350 to produce a shoe 350 with a different configuration.

In this fourth embodiment of FIG. 12, a shoe 350 preferably comprises aheel part 354, an instep-and-nose part 352, a first sole component 356and a second sole component 358. The way in which the shoe 350 isconfigured by the connection of these four individual components isshown in FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings.

Optionally, the heel part 354 is constructed of injection-moulded hardfibre reinforced plastics material. Preferably, the instep-and-nose part352 is constructed either of soft polyurethane, or of a combination ofleather and foam. The first sole component 356 and the second solecomponent 358 are preferably constructed of rubber or of leather.

In one class of preferred embodiment the shoe is moulded from a solidpolyurethane unit with a steel shank in the mould to keep the heel loopsolid and to improve rigidity of the shoe.

In carrying out the manufacture of the shoe 350 as according to thisfourth embodiment of the present invention, the heel part 354 is firstconnected by securing means, for example adhesive, to theinstep-and-nose part 352. Before adding either the first sole component356 or the second sole component 358, the combination of the heel part354 and the instep-and-nose part 352 is finished with a suitable layerfor example a fully leather coverage or a flexible coating of plasticsmaterial. If the flexible coating of plastics material is applied, thena leather slab will need to be applied to both the foot bed and theinside surface of the instep band-loop 360.

To complete the formation of a shoe 350, the first sole component 356and the second sole component 358 are added to the part assembled shoeand secured by suitable securing means, such as adhesive, to thefinished combination of the heel part 354 and the instep-and-nose part352. In assembling such a shoe, the components 352, 354 and 356 areinterconnected in such a way as shown in FIG. 12. Thus a shoe is formedwhich has an appearance substantially the same as a shoe constructed asaccording to any preceding embodiment of the present invention, asdescribed hereinbefore.

It is further envisaged that the shoe, shoe blank and/or shoe former,formed as according to any one of the embodiments hereinbeforedescribed, may be constructed from leather; rubber; plastics materialsuch as fibre-reinforced plastics material; a polyurethane orcombination of polyurethanes; foam; or any combination of thesematerials. Other suitable materials for the shoe and/or shoe formerinclude Kevlar, nylon, carbon-fibre, wood or a suitably rigid metal.

It will be understood that terms of orientation or function used toidentify different components of the present invention such as “front”,“rear”, “foot-bed portion” and the like, do not limit their relevantcomponents to these orientations or functions. Indeed, they serve simplyto identify such components from one another. It is envisaged that theinvention can be applied to a variety of footwear and is not limited tothose of the type hereinabove described. Further or alternatively, thefootwear may be adapted without departing from the scope of theinvention.

1. A method for forming a shoe from a one-piece shoe blank having firstand second opposed ends with a series of portions between the first andsecond ends, said series of portions comprising in order from the firstend a forepart portion, a foot bed portion, a heel shaft portion, a heelsole portion, an upper portion and a securing portion, said methodcomprising the steps of: (a) effecting transverse folds in the blankthereby to delineate said forepart portion, foot bed portion, heel shaftportion, heel sole portion and upper portion; (b) arranging the foldedblank so that the foot bed portion rises from the forepart portion, theheel shaft portion extends generally perpendicularly to and spaced fromthe forepart portion and the heel sole portion extends forwardly fromthe heel shaft portion so as to partially underlie part of the forepartportion; (c) twisting the upper portion round with respect to the heelsole portion so as to overlie with clearance the forepart portion toform a shoe upper for retaining a wearer's foot; and (d) securing saidsecuring portion to said forepart portion so as to form a shoe having anopen loop heel section comprising a foot bed, heel shaft and heel soledefined by the corresponding portions of the blank and having a forepartsection defined by the forepart and upper portions of the blank.
 2. Amethod as claimed in claim 1, further comprising arranging the foldedblank so that said securing portion underlies said forepart portion andthen securing said securing portion to said forepart portion.
 3. Amethod as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising forming the footbed portion, heel shaft portion and heel sole portion around a heelformer defining a required shape and form for said open loop heelsection, to facilitate the construction of the heel section.
 4. A methodas claimed in claim 3, wherein said shoe former comprises a solidsupport constructed and arranged for filling the cavity of the open loopheel section.
 5. A method as claimed in claim 1, and further comprisingarranging the folded blank so that a part of the heel sole portionunderlies a part of the forepart portion; and attaching said part of thesecuring portion to said part of the forepart portion.
 6. A method asclaimed in claim 2, wherein said twisting of the upper portion over saidforepart portion also brings a part of the upper portion beneath thefoot bed portion; whereafter said part of the upper portion is attachedto said foot bed portion.
 7. A method as claimed in claim 5, andincluding disposing a forepart former between the forepart portion andthe securing portion, said forepart former having a shape generallycorresponding to the shape of the forepart portion.
 8. A method asclaimed in claim 7, and further comprising forming the foot bed portion,heel shaft portion and heel sole portion around a heel former defining arequired shape and form for said open loop heel section, said heelformer being integrally formed with said forepart former.
 9. A method asclaimed in claim 1, and further comprising applying a finish to exposedsurfaces of the blank.
 10. A method as claimed in claim 9, and includingattaching a shoe sole beneath the open loop heel section and forepartsection of said shoe.
 11. A shoe formed from a one-piece shoe blankhaving first and second opposed ends with a series of portions betweenthe first and second ends, said series of portions comprising in orderfrom the first end a forepart portion, a foot bed portion, a heel shaftportion, a heel sole portion, an upper portion and a securing portion,wherein said shoe is formed by the method as claimed in claim 1 so as toform a shoe having an open loop heel section comprising a foot bed, heelshaft and heel sole and a forepart section having a forepart and upperportion.
 12. A shoe as claimed in claim 11, wherein said shoe includes aheel former, said heel former being disposed within the heel section anddefining a required shape and form for said open loop heel section. 13.A shoe as claimed in claim 12, wherein said heel former comprises asolid support constructed and arranged so as to fill the cavity of saidheel section.
 14. A shoe as claimed in claim 11, wherein said shoeincludes a forepart former, said forepart former having a shapegenerally corresponding to the shape of the forepart portion of theshoe.
 15. A shoe as claimed in claim 14, wherein said shoe furthercomprises a heel former defining a required shape and form for said heelsection, said heel former being integrally formed with said forepartformer.
 16. A shoe as claimed in claim 11 wherein said shoe has a finishapplied thereto, said finish being selected from the group consisting ofleather, plastics material and a combination of leather and plasticsmaterial.
 17. A shoe as claimed in claim 16, wherein said shoe furthercomprises a shoe sole secured to the underside of the open loop heelsection and forepart section.
 18. A shoe as claimed in claim 11, whereinsaid shoe is formed from a shoe blank formed from a material selectedfrom the group consisting of a plastics material, leather, rubber,Kevlar, nylon, and a combination of a plastics material, leather,rubber, Kevlar and nylon.
 19. A shoe as claimed in claim 18, whereinsaid plastics material is selected from the group consisting offiber-reinforced plastics material, a polyurethane, a combination ofpolyurethanes, foam, and a combination of fiber-reinforced plasticsmaterial, a polyurethane, a combination of polyurethanes, foam.
 20. Aone-piece shoe blank for use in a method of forming a shoe as claimed inclaim 1, said shoe blank having first and second opposed ends with aseries of portions between the first and second ends, said series ofportions comprising in order from the first end a forepart portion, afoot bed portion, a heel shaft portion, a heel sole portion, an upperportion and a securing portion.